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DIY: 7 Kitchen Hacks You Need

If you grew up in a home where family and friends frequently gather in the kitchen, you’ll definitely consider it as the home’s epicenter. And even if you didn’t, it’s something you can’t really do without no matter how big or small your home is.

Now, if you’re looking for ways to make your kitchen more functional, you’re in luck. Here, we’ll talk about the top 7 kitchen hacks that are sure to impress even the pros.

1. DIY Kitchen Island

If you don’t have a lot of space, you might think a kitchen island is something you can just have once you move into a bigger home. It’s not. In fact, it’s better to have one if you live in an apartment where there’s no clear line between your kitchen and living room.

A kitchen island using pallets, for example, enables you to store many items inside of it. It’s also a good counter space, whether you’re using it as part of your kitchen or living room. And of course, it’s a nice spot for guests to hang around if you’re hosting a get-together or a similar event.

Other DIY kitchen island ideas you can try involve using an old door or a set of wooden crates. You can also make one using scraps of salvaged wood or even an old dresser. Try to paint your island in a color that blends well with your cabinetry or something that doesn’t clash with your kitchen decor.

2. Wall-Mounted Storage

This is one of our favorite kitchen hacks for two reasons. First, it’s super versatile. You can do this in almost every room of your house or condo.

Second, it’s a great space-saving solution. If you have a bit of a blank wall in your kitchen, you can use that space to hang kitchen tools, pots or pans, and even a magnetic knife rack.

Plus, if you have a lot of paper clutter (e.g. calendar, cookbooks, recipes, etc.) and plan to digitize them, you can just use the same principle to mount your devices. A Raspberry Pi would look great as a digital calendar mounted on your wall. You can also buy hooks to hang your tablet or phablet on a cabinet.

3. Hidden Waste

If you think your kitchen’s almost perfect except for those ugly trash bins, don’t worry. There are many ways to hide waste and best of all, they won’t cost you a pretty penny.

Check out this easy to follow instructable for building a hidden trash can cabinet. It tilts out but if you don’t think you’re handy enough to construct that, a cute curtain over an old dresser will work just as well to hide a trash can.

Or if you want a more MacGyver-like solution, hack one of your drawers and turn it into a four-compartment recycling center. This way, you don’t have to store different bins underneath your sink. And you can do your sorting at the same time.

4. DIY Rolling Pantry

Here’s another must-try kitchen hack. You may have noticed that our favorite kitchen hacks have something to do with solving storage issues.

Anyway, this makes our list because not only is it easy to build, it helps take away visual clutter that could end up on your counter (e.g. cereal boxes or your favorite snacks). YouTube has a lot of tutorials on how to make a rolling pantry if you prefer the DIY route.

The basic idea is to create a shelf with wheels that can fit in that small space between your fridge and kitchen counter or wall. Just remember that if you’re making one from scratch, make sure you get your measurements right. You don’t want to end up with a contraption that you’ll end up storing somewhere else because it won’t fit in that tiny space.

5. Repurpose an Old Ladder

Don’t know where to hang your pots and pans? You can use your old ladder or just buy one off Craigslist and turn it into a pot rack.

Of course, you’ll have to cut it down to your desired size. You’ll also need studs, screw hooks, eye bolts, and a chain so you can hang it from your ceiling.

If you don’t like your ladder slash pot rack’s current look, give it a fresh coat of paint first. Once it’s set up, invite your friends over so they can marvel at your DIY star-level smarts.

6. Fridge Tricks

You can’t have a list of kitchen hacks without some fridge tricks. If you have a teeny tiny ref, the best solution isn’t always to buy a newer, bigger, model.

You can use super strong magnets to hang bottles from your ref’s ceiling. Sliding bins with handles are also a good idea. This way, you don’t have to dig around for the stuff you need come lunch or dinner time.

Other cool fridge tricks to try include putting a lazy Susan in for your condiments and jars of food and adding binder clips so you can hang bags of food from individual wires on your shelves. You can also put in an extra shelf to keep your fridge nice and organized.

7. More Cabinet Storage

Overhead kitchen cabinets are wonderful that is until you have to find a ladder or stool to retrieve some item you’ve stored there. If this is something you’re tired of dealing with, your best bet is an integrated pull-down shelf.

Look for those shelves that can be easily lifted or lowered down. Another idea you can go for is to have your cabinets transformed into a built-in pantry.

This would cost a bit more but it’s a good way to get more space if you can’t spare another room for a pantry.

Want More Kitchen Hacks?

Don’t forget to browse our blog for more kitchen design tips and tricks. We have a lot of great articles on customizing kitchen cabinets.